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Halruaans
See also: Halruaan Organisations, Halruaan Pantheon, Halruaan Magic, Halruaan Government, Halruaan commerce The typical Halruaan has dark hair and skin in any shade from, ruddy to deep olives though an occasional paler-skinned child is born. Eye color ranges from black to chocolate brown to deep green. Halruaan men average about 5 feet 9 inches tall, and women about 3 inches shorter. Mentality "“It’s the most paranoid country I was ever in”" - unnamed Durparian merchant Since anyone, even a beggar on the street, could be hiding a wand of fireballs, most people are polite and make no sudden moves around strangers. Courtesy and politeness have become so ritualized that people are uncomfortable without them. The high degree of courtesy has created several customs that are staunchly observed in daily life. Before one enters another’s dwelling, one should identify oneself and pledge no magic or malice to those inside. It is an considered an insult to use magic inside a dwelling without permission from the host. Depending on one’s host’s identity, it can also be quite dangerous. Education All Halruan children are schooled until the age of 13. Halruan children are expected to learn reading and writing, history and a productive trade. When a child reaches the age of five, he is tested for potential for the Art. If the student is capable, he is also taught spells such as cantrips, dancing lights, or audible glamer. A group of adolescents following several bobbing clusters of glowing lights down the street is a common sight in any Halruan town. This is a popular game called Dueling Globes by the youngsters. The participants must match the movements of their lights from the dancing light spells. Language Halruaans speak Halruaan, which is simply a modern dialect of ancient Netherese. It is a complicated language, not easily learned by a foreigner. They employ the Draconic alphabet in their writings. Caste structure Halruaans make a point of elevating those accomplished in the arcane arts. It’s a fact of their society that masterful wizardry is the ultimate goal in life. That is not to say that they scorn or abuse those who cannot wield magic. #Aristocracy: ##Royalty - Kingdom ##Nobility ##Earls - Earldom ##Clerics - Parish ##Barons - Barony #Landed Gentry: ##Knights - Thanage ##Baronets - Estate #Freemen #Serf #Slave The lowest group of spell casters in society is the small sect of priests of Azuth. Above them are the mages, and the priests of Mystra. The order, from least respected to most respected is: necromancers, conjurers, abjurers, clerics of Mystra, enchanters, transmuters, specialty priests of Mystra, generalist mages, evokers, illusionists, and diviners. Clothing Appearance is everything among Halruaans, the flashier the better. Folk measure one another by their dress, responsibilities, and transportation, impressed all the more if magic is a part of all three. Halruaans are wealthy, as a rule, and they can afford to import whatever clothing is in fashion at the moment. They prefer cool, loose-fitting outfits because of the hot climate. Halruaans prefer to dress in bright colors, lavishly adorn themselves with trinkets and magical effects, and ride in luxurious vehicles. Because of the culturAalr bmlesn da fnrodm A threm foormrative days when the Lapal and Netherese came together, and because of their ability to craft just about anything magical, the Halruaan combatant has access to a wide variety of styles. Still, lighter armor is usually preferred, Heavy-Armour Blacksmith (Adept): crafts heavy armor with the mechanomagical ability keep the wearer from overheating "Comfort" (requires endure elements); Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Craft(Armoursmithing), Craft Magic Arms and Armour Everflowing bottle of perfume Crystal Orb Replica - Of the real Crystal Orb, owned by Zalathrom, king of Halruaa. Can still serve as divination spell focus or component. Pets Halruaan behirs and beguilersare popular, but any number of strange animals from every conceivable land might be acquired by the extremely wealthy. Local animals: Rhinocerous, Elephant, Dog, Cheetah, Boar, Leopard, Snake**, Lynx, Behir*, Eagle, Owl, Pseudodragon, Komodo Dragon Local dragons: Brown, Brass, Rattlyr Culture Most folk who have never been to Halruaa hold a couple of mistaken assumptions. The first is that all Halruaans are wizards. Though far from true, this assumption has doubtless been fostered in the minds of foreigners by the few Halruaans with whom they have had contact. In fact, only about one-third of all Halruaans have the gift of wizardry; the other two-thirds just act as though they do. The second bit of misinformation shared by those not native to Halruaa is that all the country's wizards seclude themselves in dark, brooding towers built in desolate areas, where they cackle gleefully while working on their latest magical experiments. Again, though this notion is quite understandable, it isn't accurate. In truth, Halruaans live their lives in much the same way as other people in Faerûn. They marry,, have families, and live in communities where they have friends and engage in trade and gossip, just like other folk. The difference is that magic pervades their lives on an everyday level, and they don't think twice about its presence. In most of Faerûn, those who understand magic are considered mysterious outcasts, but in Halruaa, they have the inside track to health, wealth, and happiness, and those who don't have the spark of magic feel as though they're on the outside looking in. Although it is not necessary to practice magic in order to live well in Halruaa, it does help - a fact that might explain why so many Halruaans at least pretend to know a bit of wizardry. Of the third of the population with magical skill, approximately two-thirds have never been able to get beyond a simple trick or two (as noted in the description of the Magical Training feat). The rest - a little more than 10 percent of the total population - actually understand the intricacies of casting spells. To Halruaans, the true Art is wizardry - they view sorcery as a dangerously undisciplined and primitive approach to magic. Those few Halruaans whose gifts lead them to sorcery instead of wizardry either downplay the extent of their powers or leave the copntry. With all that magic at their fingertips, it's no wonder that Halruaans practice exaggerated courtesies with one another. Halruaan social interactions usually involve lengthy declarations of intent, ritual sharing of spell components, and other elaborate niceties, usually as part of formal visits to one another's homes. Such practices might be considered ail unnecessary waste of time in a society that docsn't feel the weight of magic every day, but for Halruaans, they represent self-preservation as much as politeness. To the eyes of visiting outsiders, these courtesies initially seem to be a whirlwind of gestures, bows, and ritualistic exchanges that are too rapid and confusing to figure out. Eventually, though, patterns become discernible, and visitors soon learn to follow along and participate. Halruaans as a whole are self-satisfied people more interested in staying at home than in exploring or exploiting the rest of Toril. Wizards enjoy pursuing their research in the privacy of their laboratories and don't see much need to get beyond the Walls. Those who do leave their native land are often merchants or agents in search of unusual spell components. A few such agents are important enough to travel in one of the fabled Halruaan skyships, but these flying vessels are fragile and so valuable that they are not sent outside the Walls for anything less than major missions. While Halruaan wizards do spend a substantial amount of time on their studies, they still manage to make time for family life, though they rear smaller numbers of children on average than citizens of other nations. As a result, children in this country tend to get more individual attention. Halruaans receive public schooling until at least the age of thirteen. Screening for magical aptitude occurs at age five, and magic-capable students often master cantrips by the time they are fifteen. The smaller than normal number of offspring also means that Halruaa is not a densely populated nation. In fact, it has no large cities, and almost every urban center that does exist is less crowded than one would expect. The streets are wide, stately boulevards, the homes sit on spacious lots with plenty of open grass, and public parks and squares are numerous and open. Cities Stores open at night have the magical equivalent of fluorescent tubes to light up their signs. Continual flame gems in metal streetlights. City Transport Conveyances are often magic items, such as a skyship or carpet of flying. A network of bonfire towers: a pittance will get ''firestride ''cast on you, or you can buy a 'citysaver' wand which will cast it 3/day (lasts 90minutes). Rings of Resist fire is a traditional gift among Halruaans when a young Halruaan begins studying at one of the Universities. Visitors must buy their own. Rural areas Agricultural wizards, arcane famers, artisans, herders and guides. Every town has a tavern with a Skald. Rural magic In the countryside, flamboyant ways are not so important, but the use and display of magic still is. Rural folk value the practical application of magic more than magic for its own sake. A spell or item that can harvest the crop or herd the sheep more efficiently is esteemed more than flashy wizardry. Demographics Halruaa is predominantly a human nation. The descendants of the Netheril, mixed with some Arkaiun blood from the western plains of Dambrath, make up over 90% of the population. The remainder are mostly dwarves, concerned with working the electrum mines east of Lake Maeru. Halfling traders from Luiren can be found near the coast. There are a few elves and half-elves whose fascination and talent with magic is strong enough to grant them a seat on the council of Elders. The native elves of this region are all but extinct, having been subjected to genocide at the hands of the Lapal-Netherese empire of ages past. Races *Human (Halruaan): Locals ** Racial Feats: Arcane Schooling, Magical Training, Spellwise *Human (Durpari): Dupari Merchants are common in coastal cities. ** Racial Feats: Arcane Schooling, Cosmopolitan, Silver Palm *Human (Shaaran): Shaaran Nomad (Barbarians, Rangers, Fighters, Druids) ** Racial Feats: Fleet of Foot, Horse Nomad, Survivor *Human (Arkaiun): ** Racial Feats: Knife Fighter, Resist Poison, Saddleback *Elves (Sun, Moon, Wild) & Half-Elves: ** Sun Elves tend to live in the Estate quarters of the major cities, and are typically courtiers or academics ** Moon Elves tend to the countryside, sometimes as Rangers or Arcane Herders *Dwarves (All) & sometimes Gnomes: Craftsmen and Artisans *Halfling gypsies *Gnome Werebeast: Northern-region Racism *Strong open dislike drow and half-drow (mostly due to Crinti) *Strong open dislike snakes and scalykind (mostly due to Yuanti) *Assumption that halflings are gypsy thieves or spies Food smoked fish from the coast, cuts of meat from the herds in the Nath, and a wide assortment of pickled fruits and vegetables imported from Luiren. *pantry: dried and smoked meats, sacks of flour, herbs, vegetables *coolant chests: Eggs, meat, poultry, fish, beverages, cheeses and vegetables * meats: rhinocerous, elephant, boar, dog, cockatrice, snake * eggs: pseudodragon, owl, eagle, cockatrice * fish: eel, behir, fish, crab, lobster, seal, whale, dolphin, squid, octopus, clams, mussels, prawns, * beverage: distilled dwarven whiskey, haerlu wine (national drink), spiced mead * cheeses: horse, dog, boar * vegetables: olives, corn (vegetables), wheat, chili (spices) * fruit: apple Architecture Generally more open and airy, less shadows and dimly lit areas. Lots of windows, openable ones of which also have electrum mesh screens (of Dwarven make). Chimney based cooling (a chilling chamber spell 3/day and cooling breeze constant effect) that allow for pleasantly cool temperature all day. Specific features Dweomered Doors: These doors might come in odd shapes, be crafted of unusual materials, and possibly have other features (locks, traps, additional spells) set on them as well. The doors are often masterfully crafted, with highly stylized motifs. Door of Visions: Each creature passing through this doorway sees a very distinct and clear image (determined at the time of the door’s creation) such as that created by a silent image spell. Silencing Door: This type of door is crafted so that it shuts automatically when left unattended. When it shuts, a silence spell is cast upon the door itself, affecting those nearby. Doors of this type are frequently made with passwords or special keys that temporarily negate the effect. Door of Mirrors: This type of doorway usually functions upon deposit of a coin. Those affected by the door are surrounded by 1d4+2 exact images of themselves, which duplicate their every move. Also used in clothiers and armoursmiths. Halruaan Skyship: Sailing vessel that floats on air instead of water. A skyship is much like a standard sailing vessel in appearance and crew needs. The typical Halruaan skyship has three masts, square sails, two panels that can be swung out on each side for guidance, and a broad beam that allows it to land on flat surfaces without listing. Ten plates are affixed to the underside of the ship, which are traditionally made from the shells of Halruaan sea turtles. Dread Doors Category:Halruaa Category:Race Category:Playable Race